BROOKINGS – For 36 minutes of Wednesday’s Summit League battle between IUPUI and South Dakota State, it looked as if the game had a chance to be a repeat of their first matchup in Indianapolis – an overtime contest which the Jaguars won 85-83 – as neither team could generate enough offense to get separation.
But with 3:58 to play, Reed Tellinghuisen buried a 3-pointer to give SDSU a 64-57 lead and from there, the Jacks continued to pull away over the final four minutes for an 81-67 win.
After trailing 33-26 at halftime, the Jackrabbits exploded for 55 second-half points to improve to 13-16 overall and 6-8 in Summit play.
In the first half, SDSU managed to shoot just 38 percent from the floor with an 8-of-21 performance, which included 1-of-8 from beyond the arc. IUPUI didn’t fare much better as the Jags went 13-of-35 (37 percent) and 6-for-22 from downtown.
The only thing that kept the Jacks close was a 9-1 scoring advantage from the free-throw line as IUPUI held a 21-19 edge in rebounds, which included seven offensive caroms, and turned the ball over just four times to SDSU’s eight over the first 20 minutes.
Second half? Second chance for the Jackrabbits – and they made the most of it by opening the frame with a 6-0 run in the first two minutes to get within one at 33-32.
IUPUI countered with a 3-pointer by Darrel Combs to go back up by four, but Tellinghuisen answered with his own 3 to make it 36-35.
Kellon Thomas went coast-to-coast with a steal to give the Jaguars a 40-37 advantage with 16:02 to play, but Tellinghuisen buried another trey to not only tie the game at 40-all, but spark a 9-0 run, which Skyler Flatten capped off with an offensive-rebound basket after Tellinghuisen blocked a shot on the IUPUI offensive end.
The Jaguars cut the SDSU lead to two points on three different occasions over the next seven minutes before four straight free throws – two by Michael Orris and two by Mike Daum – gave the Jacks a 59-52 lead with 5:43 on the clock.
But IUPUI wasn’t done as the Jags took advantage of a rare Tellinghuisen second-half miss and an SDSU turnover to get back within two as Matt O’Leary dropped a 3 and Ron Patterson finished a fast break with a dunk at the 4:53 mark.
Daum scored in the paint on the Jacks’ next possession and Tellinghuisen buried that 3-pointer before Darell Combs went 1-of-2 from the line for the Jaguars to make it a six-point game at 64-58.
Tellinghuisen hit another 3 – his fourth of the half – to push the SDSU lead back to nine points and IUPUI never got closer than seven the rest of the way as the Jacks went 8-of-8 from the foul line over the final 1:39 to close out the game.
Daum led the Jackrabbits with 26 points, which included a 12-of-12 night at the foul line, while Tellinghuisen added 16 points and four blocks. Chris Howell posted a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds as Orris chipped in with 13 points and seven assists. Flatten came off the bench to finish with eight points and a block while Lane Severyn contributed two points.
O’Leary scored 23 points and grabbed 10 boards for the Jaguars, who dropped to 11-16 overall and 5-8 in league play. Combs added 17 points as the Jacks held IUPUI to 36.8 percent shooting for the game.
Head Coach T.J. Otzelberger ...
On the second half ... "I was really happy with the effort in the second half. We talked a lot in the locker about pushing that pace, getting up and down the court, playing for each other. We were so stagnant in that first half and I think it kind of messed with our heads that they were running gaps and it made it really tough. Once we got a flow and rhythm, really our defense pass was really awesome. I think this was a season pass with 36.8. I thought our guys did a really good job guarding and that led to a lot of transition for us."
Game Notes – Wednesday’s game was SDSU's annual Samaritan's Feet night. Head coach T.J. Otzelberger coached barefoot to support the cause... Daum posted his 21st game of the season with 20 or more points... Daum passed Andy Moeller (1,206 points) for the No. 22 spot on SDSU's career scoring list and now has 1,210 for his career... Daum has 692 points this season and is No. 5 on the single-season record list... SDSU had four players in double figures for the eighth time this season... State has scored 50 points or more in the second half four times this year.
What's Next – South Dakota State takes on IPFW in Fort Wayne on Saturday at 6 p.m.
